Automatic musical instrument.



PATENTED JULY 3, 1906,

Y W. H. REBS.. AUTOMATIC MUSICAL INSTRUME APPLICATION FILED NOV. 25.1905.

Z SHEETS-SHEET l.

f.. mY N QN No. 825,27-7. v PATENTED JULY 3, 1906.

v W. H. EEES. AUTOMATIC MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

APPLIU'ATION FILED Nov 2a 1905 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

umrnn srafrns PATENT IVILLIAM H. BEES, OF WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSICNOR TO AEOLIAN COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF CONNECTICUT.

AUTOMATlC WIUSECL iNSTl-"tdi't'lhl- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 3, 1906.

Application filed November 25, 1905- Serial No. 289,077=

T all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM II, Rans, a citizen of the United States, residing vat Worcester, in the county of lllorcester and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Automatic Musical Instrument, of

which the following is a speciiication.

This invention relates to an improved construction for automatically controlling a musical instrument having two sets of speaking devices-such, i'or example, as a double-manual organ-one set of speaking devices of which corresponds with one keyboard or manual, while the other set of speaking devices copresponds with a second keyboard or manua 1 The especial object of this invention is to provide a simple, compact, and efficient ar'- rangement of pneumatics which will control the speaking devices of a double-manual organ or similar instrument to produce automatically all variations and combinations which can be madein playing such an instrument by hand.

.To these ends this invention consists of the construction for controlling an automatic musical instrument and of the combinations of parts therein, as hereinafter described, and more particularly pointed out in the claims at the end of this specification.

In the accompanying two sheetsof drawings, Figure 1 is a diagrammatic sectional view of sufficient parts of an automatic musical instrument to illustrate the application of this invention thereto. Fig. l? is a detail view of oneof the check-valves. Fig. 2 is a lan view, partly broken away, of the trackerhoard; and Eig. 3 is a plan view, partly broken away, of the music-sheet.

In playing a double-manual organ by hand it is possible to secure a wide range of effects. For example, a melody can be played on the upper manual and an accompaniment on the lower manual, or a melody may be playd on thelower manual while the accompaniment is played on the upper manual. By means of couplers the melody may be sounded upon both manuals, while the accompaniment may be sounded upon either one of `the manuals alone, or the melody may be sounded on either one of the manuals, while by couplers l sets of manuals. Where loudest effects are l desired, the melody and the accompaniment may both be sounded upon both manuals.

skilled organist will often produce more complicated effects-such, for example, as can be done by trilling a note from the upper to the lower manual or by other rapid changesi from one manual to the other.

The especial object of the present invention is to provide a pneumatic-controlling mechanism for a double-manual organ or similar musical instrument which will not only be able to produce every possible variation which can be made by skilled organists, but which will also be capacitated to produce such effects with much more rapidity and certainty than can be done by even the highest degree of manual dexterity. To accomplish this result in an automatic musical instrument constructed according to this invention, the tracker-board is provided with a set of notcchannels which control pneum atics for sounding a set of such speaking devices which may be regarded as the normal or lower manual. In addition to the note-channels the tracker'- board is provided with a supplemental set of channels which operate an individual set of switches,one of these switches corresponding to each note-channel, serving to change the sounding of the note from a speaking device corresponding to the lower or normal manual to a speaking device or" the upper or supplemental manual. These individual switches are of a delicate quickly-responsive construction, permitting instantaneous changes from one manual to the other'f or trilling or rapidlyshaded effects. The tracker-hoard is also preferably provided with a main switch channel corresponding to asingle line of periorations of the music-sheet for controlling a main switch for causing all notes to be sounded upon the upper or supplemental manual without the use of the individual switches, and the tracker-board additionally is preferably )rovided with a single channel correspon ing with a single line ci periorations of the music-sheet for actuating a coupler device for causing notes to be sounded in unison upon both manuals.

The accompanying drawings show in dethe accompaniment maybe sounded on both tail 'the application of this invention to a In addition to these ordinary variations a 'to the lower manual.

double-manual organ operated by a pressure system.

, Referring to Fig. 1 and in detail, 10 designates apressure-boX, mounted in which is the usual paper-winding mechanism comprising the music-roll 11 and winding-roll 12 for drawing the perforated music-sheet over the tracker-board T. Each channel of the tracker-board T which corresponds toa note is connected by a pipe 13 to operate a.pneu matic 14, closing a valve 15 and opening a valve 16. The openi of the valve 16 admits pressure to an u r passage 17, which is connectediby a pip .-.c'to operate apneumatic 19, which will open a valve 2O land close al valve 21. The opening of the valve 20 will exhaust the pressure from a channel 22, leading to one of the speaking devices of a set of such speaking devices corresponding In the particular drganto which Ihave appliedthis inventin the exhausting of the air from one of t e channels 22 acts through an ordinary set of pneumatic-controlling connections to sound a speaking device. .These connections are of ordinary construction, which it is not though necessary to herein show or describe at lengthl Thepipe 18 is also connected by a -T-joint to, `alpipe 23, which opens below a cut-off dia-l` phragm 24. The cut-off diaphragm 24 is. norl rnallyheld down by pressure, so as to stop l thepassage of air through the pipe 23. The

' pressure which holds down thecut-off diaand closing a valve 28.

phragm'24 is exhausted, however, when a i,

coupling actionis desired, and in such case air-pressure from the pipe'23 passes under the individual diaphragm 24, throughs pipe 25, to a pneumatic 26, opening avalve 27 "lhe opening of the valve 27 exhausts the pressure from a channel 29. Theexhausting of pressure from this channel 29 brings into action one of jthe speaking devices of a set oi speaking devices corresponding to the "upper manual. The pneumatic-connections for doing this are of ordinary construction, which it is, not thought necessary to herein show or describe. When air is exhausted from both the channel 22 and the channel 29, the same note will vbe sounded in unison upon speaking devices in both sets of such speaking devices. The exhaustion of pressure to permit an automatic coupling actionl is preferably controlled from a marginal tracker-board channel J. fThis tracher-board channel J- registers with a sin- -gle marginal line of perforations of the musicsheet, and, as shown-in Fig. 1, the trackerboard channel J is connected by apipe SUto eperatea pneumatic 31, closing a valve 32 and opening a valve 38. The opening of the valve 33 exhausts pressure frointhe pneumatic 34, shifting the switch-valve 35 to eX- haust` the pressure upon the switching-diahragni 24, cefore referred to. lnrpracticel nave that this is an. ecient automatic coupling device whichis very sensitive -inoperation and which willpermit the simultancous sounding of a note on both manuals for various lengths of time, even down to the very shortest grace notes which could possibly be desired. i

, Correspondingwith the note-channels of the tracker-board the tracker-boardv is also preferably provided with a supplemental ser. of perforations, one of ,which corresponds with each noteperforation, these supplemen-` tal channels preferably alternating with the note-channels. i these supplemental or individual switch channels is connected by a pipeijl to admit pressure below a check-valveliY to raise a pneu- .matilc 37. Thecheck-valve V, shown in:

means of this construction whenever an in vdividual-switch channel ofthe tracker-lward is opened it will permit the sounding of a note corresponding thereto, on the `upper manual aloneunless the couplerlhas'cxhausted the pressure upon the .shut-oil. diaphragm 24, in which case the note will begpermitted-to be sounded in unison on both manuals.

:in addition to an individual slet of switches an automatic musical instrument construct- ,ably. provided with a main-switch mechan- -lism controlling all notes simultaneously. For this purpose the'tracker-board,l` as shown in l i .2 is4 refersbl providedwithamardinal g i P Yr s 'phannelS, crnresponding` ,with a isingle line of,

As shovv'n"` in Fig. 1, cach of IIO 45. l:The opening of the valve `45 exhausts 4pressurefrom the pneumatic 46,@ opening the valve 47 and closing the valve 48l The opening of the valve 47 admits pressure to a long channel common to a series of check-valves V', each check-valve V of whichlcorresponds to one of thel note-channels and is of a similar construction to the check-valve Y. (Shown in Fig. la.) Thel lifting of each of the checkvalves V admits pressure to a corresponding 'pneumatic 37,before referred to, sothat the' entire set of switching pneumatics -37 will remain shifted so long as the main-,swatch channel S of the tracker-board remains open.

l Referring to the second sheet of drawings for a clear understanding of the cutting of the music-sheet and of the variety of musical effects which can be produced thereby, as shown in Fig. 3, the music-sheet maybe provided along one edge with a perroraico @ed according to this invention'is also prefertions 100 for operating" the coupler mechanthe. music-sheet perforations controlling thev individual-switch mechanism and the noteperforations. For example, the set of musicsheet periorations A A. will produce trilling on two notes of the upper manual, the set of periorations B will produce a single note on the upper manual, the set of perliorations C will soun( a note iirst on the lower manual and then switch the latter part of the note to the upper manual, the set of perforations I) will produce a trill in which the same note is sounded alternately upon the lower and upper manuals, and the set of perforations E will sound a note first on the upper manual, which will be switched onto the lower manual and then switched back to the u per manual. These several groups of pe orations are of course selected for purposes of illustration merely, it bein understood that to produce any desired s ifting or' trilling from one manual to the other it is simply necessary to select the. required arrangement of perforations, and all possible switching actions can be produced bythe action of the individual switches alone, although it is preferred to supplement the individual switches by amain switch. I regard this as desirable, because by controlling the main switch from a single line oi'perforations of the musicsheet it is possible to avoid multiple cuttings in the music-sheet, which otherwise might be necessary if a lgeneral switching action was produced by the control of the switches individually. It is to be understood also that the particular design of music-sheet in which the switch-periorations are alternated with the note-perforations and in which the main switch and coupler are controlled by the marginal perforations, respectively, may be departed from, the same ei'iects being produced no matter on what part of the width of the music-sheet the required perforations are located.

Having thus fully described this invention and ascertained the manner in which the same is to. be performed, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is*- 1. In an automatic musical instrument, the

y combination of a tracker-board having a set of note-channels, a set of individual-switch channels, imam-switch channel, and a coupler-channel, means for feeding the musicsheet, a set of pneumatics controlled from one set of tracker-board channels for soundindividual switches controlled from a set of tracker-board channels for causing the notechannels to sound speaking devices corresponding to another manual, a coupler mechanism controlled from said coupler trackerboard channel corresponding to a single line of perforations of the music-sheet for causing the note channels to sound both sets of speaking devices, and a main-switch mechanism controlled from said main-switch trackerboard channel corresponding to another single line of perforations oi the music-sheet.

2. In an automatic musical instrument,the combination of a tracker-board having a set of notechannels, and a set ot individual switch-channels, a set of pneumatics controlled from the note-channels of the trackerboard for sounding the speaking devices corresponding to one manual, a second set of pneumatics, an individual set of switches controlled from a supplemental set of trackerboard channels, one of which corresponds to each note-channel of the tracker-board and causing the note-channels to sound notes upon speaking devices corresponding to another manual.

3. In an automatic musical instrument, the combination of a'tracker-board having a set oi note-channels, and a set of individualswitch channels, a set of penumatics controlled from the note-channels of the trackerboard for sounding notes upon speaking devices corresponding with one manual, a second set of' pneumatics, and a set of individual switches controlled from supplemental tracker-board channels which alternate with the note-channels of the tracker-board, and one of which corresponds to each note-channel for causing the note-channels to operate a set of pneumatics to sound the notes upon the speaking devices corresponding to another manual.

4. In an automatic musical instrument, the combination of a tracker-board having a set of note-channels, a set of individual-switch channels, and a main-switch channel, a set oi' pneumatics controlled from note-channels of the tracker-boardto sound notes of a set of speaking devices corresponding to one manual, a second set of pneumatics, individualswitch devices controlled from supplementaltracker-board channels, one 'oi which corresponds to each note-channel, and a mainswitch mechanism controlled Afrom said mainswitch tracker-board channel for operating all the individual switches.

5. In an automatic musical instrument, the combination of a tracker-board having notechannels and a coupler-channel, aset of pneumatics controlled from the note-channels of y the tracker-board for sounding the speaking devices corresponding to one manual, ind ividual switches for causing the note-channels to ing the speaking devices corresponding to sound the speaking devices corresponding to one manual, a second set of pneumatica, and another manual, unison pipes connecting lOO cerrespondng ones of each set of pneumat- In estmony whereof I have hereunto Set ies, daphragms normally closing the unison my hand in the presence 'of two subscribing pes, and a, coupler mechanism controlled Witnesses.v

rom the coupler traeker-board Channel cor- WTILL'IAM H. REES.

5 responding 'with a single lillel of perforatons Ythesses:

of the :music-sheet for permitting the dai PmLIP W. SOUTHGATE, phmgms to open. E. M. ALLEN.' 

